Democratic Republic of the Congo

Official nameDemocratic Republic of the Congo
Name in local languageRépublique démocratique du Congo (fr) ; Republiki ya Kongó Demokratíki (ln)
ContinentAfrica
SubcontinentSub-Saharan Africa
Population (ranking: 16e)95,784,841 inhabitants (2019)
Population growth3.30 % / year
Area2,345,410 km²
Density40.84 inhabitants / km²
GDP (ranking: 92e)47.228 billions $USD (2018)
GDP/capita (ranking)562 $USD (2018)
GDP growth5.80 % / year (2018)
Life expectancy (ranking)60.40 years (2018)
Birth rate43.69 ‰ (2015)
Fertility rate6.45 children / woman (2015)
Death rate (ranking)13.27 ‰ (2015)
Infant mortality rate (ranking)88.62 ‰ (2015)
Literacy rate63.82 % (2015)
Official languagesFrench (lingala, kikongo, swahili and tshiluba are national languages)
CurrencyCongolese franc (CDF)
HDI (ranking: 217e)0.459 / 1 (2018)
EPI (ranking)30.41 (2018)
GovernmentUnitary semi-presidential republic
Head of StatePresident Félix Tshisekedi
National Day30 June (independence from Belgium in 1960)
ISO CodesCD, COD
DemonymCongolese
Tourists (ranking)351,000 people (2016)
République démocratique du Congo – petite
A country rich in raw materials but ruined by wars

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), sometimes called Congo-Kinshasa with reference to its capital city, as opposed to Congo-Brazzaville, its northern neighbor, is a country in Central Africa. It is the most populous French-speaking country, now before France. It shares borders with many countries because of its strategic central position: Congo, Central African Republic, South Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Zambia and Angola.

Katanga, collines verdoyantes
The green hills of Katanga during the rainy season. Photo: Sebastien Lavoie, Wikipedia
Boulevard du 30 juin, Kinshasa
Boulevard du 30 juin, Kinshasa. Photo: MONUSCO/Myriam Asmani
See all related maps or articles
Urban areas (2016)
Urban areasPopulation
Kinshasa12,641,463 inhabitants
Mbuji-Mayi3,367,582 inhabitants
Lubumbashi2,096,961 inhabitants
Kisangani1,602,144 inhabitants
Tshikapa1,450,615 inhabitants
Kikwit1,326,068 inhabitants
Kananga1,271,704 inhabitants
Mwene-Ditu1,252,469 inhabitants
Mbandaka1,187,837 inhabitants
Goma1,101,306 inhabitants
Kolwezi1,078,568 inhabitants
Bukavu1,012,053 inhabitants
Bandundu950,683 inhabitants
Bunia900,666 inhabitants
Butembo898,265 inhabitants
Likasi635,463 inhabitants
Boma527,725 inhabitants
Kindu453,941 inhabitants
Isiro413,533 inhabitants
Beni397,653 inhabitants
Matadi347,053 inhabitants
Gbadolite198,839 inhabitants
Zongo132,265 inhabitants
See all urban areas
Administrative divisions
ProvincesPopulationArea
Bas-Congo (Kongo central)5,575,000 inhabitants53,920 km²
Bas-Uele1,093,845 inhabitants148,331 km²
Équateur1,626,606 inhabitants103,902 km²
Haut-Katanga3,960,945 inhabitants132,425 km²
Haut-Lomami2,540,127 inhabitants108,204 km²
Haut-Uele1,920,867 inhabitants89,683 km²
Ituri4,241,236 inhabitants65,658 km²
Kasaï3,199,891 inhabitants95,631 km²
Kasaï-Central2,976,806 inhabitants59,111 km²
Kasaï-Oriental5,475,398 inhabitants9,545 km²
Kinshasa12,641,463 inhabitants9,965 km²
Kwango1,994,036 inhabitants89,974 km²
Kwilu3,637,000 inhabitants78,441 km²
Lomami2,048,839 inhabitants56,426 km²
Lualaba1,677,288 inhabitants121,308 km²
Mai-Ndombe1,768,327 inhabitants127,243 km²
Maniema2,333,000 inhabitants132,250 km²
Mongala1,793,564 inhabitants58,141 km²
Nord-Kivu8,985,711 inhabitants59,483 km²
Nord-Ubangi1,037,000 inhabitants56,644 km²
Sankuru1,007,000 inhabitants104,331 km²
Sud-Kivu5,772,000 inhabitants65,070 km²
Sud-Ubangi2,744,345 inhabitants51,648 km²
Tanganyika2,482,009 inhabitants134,940 km²
Tshopo2,614,630 inhabitants199,567 km²
See all administrative divisions
See also